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The Epidemic Intelligence Service provided me with some of the best “shoe-leather epidemiology” training that is in keeping with the finest EIS traditions. - Kristy O. Murray |
The Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) was established in 1951 following the start of the Korean War as an early warning system against biological warfare and man-made epidemics. The brainchild of Dr. Alexander D. Langmuir, the EIS program is composed of medical doctors, researchers and scientists who serve in 2-year assignments. Today it has expanded into a surveillance and response unit for all types of epidemics, including chronic disease and injuries.
Over the past 53 years, the work of EIS officers has played a crucial role in the identification, determination of cause and control of thousands of disease outbreaks and health challenges, including smallpox, Legionnaires’ disease, AIDS, Ebola virus, poor nutrition and birth defects. More recently the EIS garnered much attention for its contributions in the battle to contain and control anthrax.
Nearly 2,500 alumni of the EIS program now excel at state and city health departments, schools of medicine and public health, pharmaceutical and health care companies, and ministries of health around the world. The CDC Foundation is proud to provide fiscal and administrative management for the EIS Alumni Association (EISAA). Although EIS alumni apply their skills in many different fields, through the EISAA, they form a broad network of professionals who remain committed to preventing injury and controlling disease.